Prospecting Immersable for Gold or P.I.G.

ABSTRACT

The Prospecting Immersable for Gold or P.I.G. is a submersible unite which is tethered to an Ocean surface platform and operates on the ocean floor. The P.I.G. has a hydraulically driven tilling drum that lifts and laterally discards rocks and debris while stirring the ocean floor allowing a suction port to draw gold bearing sand and gravel through a hose to the surface platform for processing. The P.I.G. traverses the ocean floor, self propelled by a hydraulically driven paddle wheel system designed to oscillate the tilling drum for thorough harvesting. The P.I.G. primarily prospects the ocean floor during the limited storm free days of the summer months then converts to mining the ocean floor controlled from the frozen ocean surface daring the winter months.

BACKGROUND Description of Prior Art

The current methods of recovering gold from the ocean floor varies from divers operating a suction hose and sluicing to mechanical bucket excavators, trommel and sluicing. These methods are limited by human exhaustion, operating under calm seas in shallow water while avoiding freezing temperatures. In addition to the prior art, a Provisional Patent application was made by Galen Merrell, this present inventor. Provisional Patent application No. 61/690,893 filing date Jul. 9, 2012, which this utility patent application will now claim priority.

BACKGROUND Field of Invention

This invention relates to the prospecting and harvesting of placer gold from underwater alluvial and glacial deposits such as the ocean floor adjacent to Nome, Ak.

ADVANTAGES—P.I.G. Improvements over Prior Art

The P.I.G. can operate in deeper water and in light swells, the operating machinery is on the ocean floor separate from the motion of the ocean surface. The P.I.G. is safer, not needing to put a diver at risk, the operating machinery is under water away from people. The P.I.G. operates during the summer months, prospecting/harvesting, locating spots to return to during the winter months to continue harvesting beneath the frozen ocean surface.

SPECIFICATIONS: Prospecting Immersable for Gold or P.I.G.

The P.I.G. consists of a heavy steel frame which supports the unit's entities. Attached to the frame is the steel plate suction body with a wide shallow suction port at the bottom front. Located above and in from of the suction port is a rotating tilling churn with fingers that lift rocks and debris to either side of the drum while tilling the ocean floor and clearing the suction port. At the rear of the suction body is a rotating paddle/spud driving system which digs into the ocean floor and propels/steers the unit. At the top of the suction body is a discharge nozzle to which a suction hose is attached that draws the slurry of gravel and sand to the ocean surface platform for processing. The drum and paddles are driven by hydraulic motors powered from the surface platform. The suction port is slotted to allow the tilling drum fingers to past through, clearing the port. The tilling drum is of heavy steel with fingers welded to the drum, the fingers are staggered sequentially so that when the drum rotates the fingers sequentially tumble the rocks and debris to either aide of the drum. As the drum rotates, the fingers continuously clear the suction port of oversized rocks sucked up against it. The paddle/spud system consists of two paddle wheels, separately driven to allow steering and has a staggered nature causing the tilling drum to oscillate, resulting in a more thorough tilling. The paddle wheels have spuds (spikes) that drop down by gravity, during rotation, to dig down into the ocean floor providing more driving force.

A Description and drawings further define this invention as follows. A typical embodiment of the present invention in Drawing 1/7 showing the assembled nature of the unit. The frame (d) supports the unit's entities comprised of a suction body (e) which includes the “Suction Port” (a) which sucks up the material stirred from the ocean floor by the “Tilling Drum” (b). The unit is driven by the “Dual Paddle Wheels” (c). Pinned to the paddle wheel gussets are sets of gravity positioning spuds (f).

DRAWING FIGURES

Drawing 1/7 Shows FIG. 1 “Prospecting Immersable for Gold or P.I.G.” assembled.

Drawing 2/7 Shows FIG. 2 “Suction Port” in front elevation.

Drawing 3/7 Shows FIG. 3 “Suction Port” in side elevation.

Drawing 4/7 Shows FIG. 4 “Tilling Drum” in front elevation.

Drawing 5/7 Shows FIG. 5 Drum in side elevation.

Drawing 6/7 Shows FIG. 6 “Dual Paddle Wheel” in rear elevation

Drawing 7/7 Shows FIG. 7 “Dual Paddle Wheel” in side elevation

REFERENCE LETTERS IN DRAWINGS

Letter (a) “Suction Port”

Letter (b) “Drain”

Letter (c) “Dual Paddle Wheel”

Letter (d) Frame

Letter (e) Suction Body

Letter (f) Spud

Letter (g) Fingers 

I claim:
 1. A “Suction Port”, having the characteristic of an elongated shallow rectangular opening of the suction body adjacent to and along the width of the tilling drum, the port sucks ocean water, sand and gravel from the ocean floor, which has been stirred up by the tilling drum. a. The “Suction Port” of claim 1 whereas the port is beveled to allow the suction body to skid across the ocean floor. b. The “Suction Port” of claim 1 whereas the port has the upper surface slotted, to allow the tilling fingers to pass through and clear the oversize material that will be sucked up against the port. c. The “Suction Port” of claim 1 whereas the port is partitioned sufficiently across it's width to act in conjunction with the tilling drum fingers so that it has the feature of sizing or screening out oversize material.
 2. A “Tilling Drum”, having the characteristic of a cylinder, operating on it's side with fingers fastened to the drum circumference. a. The “Tilling Drum”, of claim 2 whereas the fingers are spaced in rows sufficiently located to act in conjunction with the suction port to have the feature of sizing or screening out oversize material. b. The “Tilling Drum”, of claim 2 whereas the rows of fingers are sequentially staggered radiating outward either side of the drum center thereby having the feature of lifting and tumbling rocks to either side of the drum. c. The “Tilling Drum”, of claim 2 whereas the drum side surface (circumference) acts as the skid sliding along the ocean floor limiting the depth the fingers may till. d. The “Tilling Drum”, of claim 2 whereas the tilling fingers pass through the suction port top slots and rotate through the port opening clearing the oversize material that will be sucked up against the port. d. The “Tilling Drum” of claim 2 whereas the drum will rotate counter to the rotation of the paddle wheel drive and counter to the propelled direction of the unit for the purpose of clearing the rock and tilling the ocean floor before the unit.
 3. A “Dual Paddle Wheels”, drive system having the characteristic of two paddle wheels, each independently driven in either forward or reverse directions. a. The “Dual Paddle Wheels”, of claim 3 whereas the paddle wheels are used for steering by coordinated operation of forward back and stop commands. b. The “Dual Paddle Wheels”, of claim 3 whereas the paddle wheels will have the nature of non sequential contact with the ocean floor thereby oscillating the Tilling Drum resulting in as more thorough tilling effect. c. The “Dual Paddle Wheels”, of claim 3 whereas a set of gravity positioned spuds (spikes) are set in front of each paddle and are driven into the ocean floor upon each rotation of the paddle wheel thereby giving more thrust to the paddle wheel drive system. 